Pitted against a formidable rival in the form of AIMIM chief and four-time MP Asaduddin Owaisi in her debut electoral contest, the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Hyderabad, Madhavi Latha, expressed confidence about her prospects going into the election.

Addressing a convention for BJP workers at the Exhibition Ground of Hyderabad on Wednesday, Madhavi Latha said she was enthused by the energy and involvement of the party cadre in her campaign and was optimistic about her chances.
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, the firebrand BJP candidate said, “I am here at the Exhibition Ground for a convention for our workers ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. I must say that the level of enthusiasm and the involvement of workers–from booth presidents to party leaders at all levels in the state–is remarkable. As many as 3,000 to 4,000 office-bearers and workers are attending this convention today. Their energy and excitement give me the confidence that we will surely win Hyderabad this time.”
Also extending her warm wishes to the Muslim community on the occasion of Eid, Madhvi Latha said, “I wish all my Muslim brothers and sisters, and especially all my Pasmanda brothers and sisters, a very prosperous Ramzan and a happy Eid. I hope you all move on from the harsh circumstances you are living in towards development.”
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP fielded Bhagavanth Rao against the AIMIM chief. However, the BJP candidate stood a distant second, losing to Owaisi by 2,82,186 votes. He received just 26 per cent of the total votes polled to Owaisi’s 58.95 per cent.
Voting across all 17 seats in Telangana will be conducted in a single phase on May 13.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BRS won 9 seats, while the BJP and Congress bagged 4 and 3 seats respectively.
Earlier, on Monday, Madhavi Latha mocked her electoral rival after he claimed to have received death threats, asking if anyone, who was “friends with (late UP mafia don) Mukhtar Ansari and the Kings’ group”, could be threatened with death.
Speaking to ANI, Latha said Owaisi could well have received such threats from his own people.
“How can anyone threaten Asaduddin Owaisi with death? Has someone pelted stones at him or attacked him? All this is only on social media. I have also been receiving thousands of threats on social media, did I ever come out in public with it before today? Who are these people on social media? These people sit in AC rooms and say whatever they want to. How do I believe that he is getting threats? Perhaps, his own people are threatening him with death,” she said.
Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died after a cardiac arrest while receiving treatment at a hospital, was laid to rest at the Kali Bagh burial ground in Ghazipur on April 30.
His mortal remains were buried near the graves of his parents.-ANI